Reel block



y 1941- w. M. MCCONNELL 2,241,669

REEL BLOCK Filed Aug. 2, 1940 IN ENTOR Patented May 13, 1941 REEL BLOCK William M. Mcflonnell, M'cKeesport, Pas assignor to Mackintosh-Hemphill Company, a corpora-1 7 tion of Delaware Application August 2,1940, Serial No. 349,838

My inventionirelates to a collapsible reel block,

or reel mandrel, for strip steel and other strip metal; a 1

Reel blocks, orreel ma-ndrels, f the type in which my invention more particularly resides are for the purpose of" receiving coils of strip, and rotatably to mount the coils for unreeling, or to coil the strip in rewinding, 7 A mandrel of such type may beconsidered as the primary element of a transfer' reel. It is, necessarythat such reel block, or mandrel,- be contractile in order that it may enter at the center ofa coil, and that it be expansiblefrom its contracted condition in order that it may adequately;- grip the coil into which it has" been inserted. The reel blocks, or mandrels, of this typehave an outer structure which is longitudinally divided into a plurality of coil-contacting segments. Operating means and connections move thesesegments toward and away from the common longitudinal axis of the mandrel. l

The'object of my ;invention is so to construct and arrange a collapsible mandrel that it is compact within the? approximate space bounded by the coil-contacting segments of the mandrel, and that the; operating means of' the mandrel act quickly andipositively in" moving the segments toward and away frdm the axis ofthe mandrel.

In the accompanying drawing, which shows an exemplary embodiment of my invention:

Fig. I shows the mandrel in central longitudinalsection, V e

Fig: I I is a cross-sectional View through the mandrel, taken one-half on the section line Il'A-IIA; and one half on the section line l e- 130f Fig; I. 7

Fig. III is a cross-sectional view taken on the section lineIII III of Fig. I.

In'the illustrated mandrel the segments l are shown in all figures of the drawing in their radially-inward, or contracted, position. Each segment has two longitudinally-spaced inwardly projectant feet -2, whichat their inner ends have amortised connection with two spiders 3 and 4 spaced along 'and keyed to the rotatably-mounted'mandrel'shaft '5'. The inner ends of the segment feet '2 are inclined to the axis of shaft 5 equally and ppositely to the. inclination of cooperative surfaces '6 of the spiders, and the inner ends of the feet desirably carry anti-friction shoes 1.

Movement of the spidersalong the shaft 5, the

6 Claims. (01. 242-72) ward the shaft, in accordance with the direction in which the spiders are moved along the shaft. Endwisefmovement of the segments is restrained by abutment members 8 and 9 keyed tothe shaft 5, and sospaced' along' the shaft as to accommodate between' them the operating assembly for the segments. 'Each of the segments I has at both of its ends a' flange) projected radially inward toward the shaft. 7 It will be noticed in Fig. i I of the drawing, that the segment flanges "lfllie v in contact with the abutments 8 and'B, 'so' that movement of the spiders along the mandrel shaft causing the segmentfeet' 2 to ride up or down the inclines 6 of the spiders, is in the segmentsree solved wholly into radial'movement away from or towardthe mandrel shaft Desirably, anti-fries tion washers-H are mounted on the innersurfaces of both theabut'ments 8 and 9,'so that the segment flanges l0 slide more easily against them, The operating means and connections for. the

segments include a piston l2 fixed tothe shaft 5' is thusconcentric with the shaft 5, piston l2, and

assembly of segments l, andlies wholly within the bounds of the segment assembly. when the segments are in their contracted position; Within thecylinder l3, the piston separates spaces, 14 and [5, which are of variable'volume in accordancewith the position of the cylinder. Ports I 6 and H are placed close'to the opposite sides oi the piston l2, to open respectively into the spaces 14 and I5. Ducts I 8. and 19 within the body of shaft 5,lead to the portsv I6 and I1.

Assuming that theducts I8 and H! are controlle ably connected with a source of fluid pressure, for 7 application at the opposite sides'of the piston l2, 7

the cylinder 'mayube. moved in both directions along the shaft; Cylinder-Bis connected by links 20 with spider 3 and by: links 2! with'spider ,4. Referring to Fig. I,.,W1iich.Sh0WS the contracted.

condition of the mandrel; if fluid pressure beadmitted-to thespace M (to the left in Fig; I) withe in the cylinder by way-of port 16 and duct l 8,' the-cylinder 1315 moved to the left. This pushes spider 3 and pulls spider 4 both to the left, so that the inclined surfaces 6 of both spiders acting on the feet 2 of the segments force the segments radially outward. If in that position pressure be applied in the space IE (to the right in Fig. I)

the cylinder pushes spider 4 and pulls spider 3 to the right. This brings the segments radially inward along the inclined surfaces 6 of both spiders into the collapsed, or contracted, position shown in the drawing.

From the foregoing it will be seen that competent operating means and connections causing expanding and contracting movement of the segments are wholly contained within the space between the abutments 8 and 9 and within the least space bounded by the segment assembly. Also, the fluid pressure connections in the mandrel being contained within the mandrel shaft, the inclusion of an extended operating rod, or pressure-transmitting tube is avoided, These facts give marked advantage to the mandrel in constructing, installing, and using a reel assembly in which it is included.

It is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of an embodiment of my invention,

and that within the bounds of the claims hereto appended substantial change may be made from the elements as herein specifically shown and described. As exemplary of such changes, I may utilize well known connections, such as knuckles, instead of the specifically shown and described segment-carried feet, inclined surfaces, and links, to provide operating connections functionally between the cylinder and the segments appropriately to transmit movement of the cylinder to the segments.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a collapsible mandrel the combination of a rotatable shaft, a piston immovably fixed around the said shaft, a cylinder movable along the shaft and embracing thev piston, controlled fluid pressure ducts opening within the cylinder at opposite sides of the piston selectively to apply fluid pressure for moving the cylinder in opposite directions along the shaft, a plurality of mandrel segments mounted around the shaft and cylinder for radial movement with respect thereto; and operating connections functionally between the said segments and the said cylinder, and contained within the space defined by the segments, effective to move the segments radially toward and from the shaft in accordance with the direction in which the cylinder moves along the shaft.

*2. In a collapsible mandrel the combination of a rotatable shaft, a piston immovably fixed around the said shaft, a cylinder movable along the shaft and embracing the piston, controlled fluid pressure ducts Within the said shaft opening within the cylinder at opposite sides of the piston selectively to apply fluid pressure for moving the cylinder in opposite directions along the shaft, a plurality of mandrel segments mounted around the shaft and cylinder for radial movement with respect thereto; and operating connections functionally between the said segments and the said cylinder, and contained within the space defined by the segments, effective to move the segments radially toward and from the shaft in accordance with the direction in which the cylinder moves along the shaft.

3. In a collapsible mandrel the combination of a rotatable shaft, a piston immovably fixed around the shaft, 2. cylinder movable along the shaft and embracing the piston, controlled fluid pressure ducts opening within the cylinder at opposite sides of the piston selectively to apply fluid pressure for moving the cylinder in opposite directions along the shaft, a plurality of mandrel segments mounted around the shaft and cylinder for radial movement with respect thereto, fixed abutments spaced along the shaft in end contact with the segments; and operating connections functionally between the said segments and the said cylinder, and contained within the space defined by the segments and the said abutments, effective to move the segments radially toward and from the shaft in accordance with the direction in which the cylinder moves along the shaft.

4. In a collapsible mandrel the combination of a rotatable shaft, a piston immovably fixed around the shaft, a cylinder movable along the shaft and embracing the piston, controlled fluid pressure ducts within the said shaft opening within the cylinder at opposite sides of the piston selectively to apply fluid pressure for moving the cylinder in opposite directions along the shaft, a plurality of mandrel segments mounted around the shaft and cylinder for radial movement with respect thereto, fixed abutments spaced along the shaft in end contact with the segments; and operating connections functionally between the said segments and the said cylinder, and contained within the space defined by the segments and the said abutments, effective to move the segments radially toward and from the shaft in accordance with the direction in which the cylinder moves along the shaft.

5. In a collapsible mandrel the combination of a rotatable shaft, a piston immovably fixed around the shaft, a cylinder embracing the said piston movable along the shaft and held against rotation relative to the'shaft, controlled fluid pressure ducts opening within the cylinder at opposite sides of the piston selectively to apply fluid pressure for moving the cylinder in opposite directions along the shaft, a plurality of mandrel segments mounted around the shaft and cylinder for radial movement with respect thereto, and operating connections functionally between the said segments and the said cylinder effective to move the segments radially toward and fro-m the shaft in accordance with the direc tion in which the cylinder moves along the shaft.

6. In a collapsible mandrel the combination of a rotatable shaft, a piston immovably fixed around the shaft, a cylinder embracing the said piston movable along the shaft and held against rotation relative to the shaft, controlled fluid pressure ducts within the said shaft opening within the cylinder at opposite sides of the piston selectively to apply fluid pressure for moving the cylinder in opposite directions along the shaft, a plurality of mandrel segments mounted around the shaft and cylinder for radial movement with respect thereto, and operating connections functionally between the said segments and the said cylinder effective to move the segments radially toward and from the shaft in accordance with the direction in which the cylinder moves along the shaft.

WILLIAM M. MCCONNELL. 

